Issue 26(2)
Student
Development in the First College Year: A Primer for College Educators.
(2005). Tracy L. Skipper. Columbia,
SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for
The First Year Experience & Students In Transition, 115 pp.
$20.00. ISBN: # 1-889271-35-7.
Review
by: Patrick J. Donnelly
Academic
Advisor
The
Center for Access and Transition
University of Cincinnati
Student Development in the First
College Year: A Primer for College Educators is a book I
wish I had when I started advising students in 1989. As a graduate
student in English Literature, neither my experiences nor my coursework
exposed me to student development theory and practice. While I
had excellent mentors, I remember only cursory references to student
development during my training. In fact, I remember being informed
that the best way to learn about this topic was to attend the
NACADA regional and national conferences. Many breakout sessions
later I felt better informed, but the information was disparate
and disconnected, and leaving too many gaps from idea to idea.
Imagine how excited I was to find
Skipper's book many years later. I have found it to be just what
I was looking for. It is an excellent resource that clearly and
concisely examines the individual components of student development
theory that form its foundation. Skipper makes an excellent argument
for focusing on the first year of college, but her explanation
of the theoretical framework is general enough to be useful for
anyone who works with students. Additionally, she does not limit
herself to first year programs in her examples or in her discussion
of applying theory. So why does she even mention the first year
of college in the title? To her credit, Skipper consistently connects
her explanations back to the development of first year students
with the over-arching message being that it is incumbent on all
educators to work with students in manner that fosters their overall
development and this obligation starts as soon as students hit
campus.
There are a number of reasons why
I like this book and why I think others will also. Throughout
the book there are a total of nine boxes and eight figures used
to supplement the text. The boxes are bulleted lists within a
textbox that serve to summarize the main points of various types
of identity development, intellectual and ethical development,
and other pieces of student development theory. The figures are
graphical representations of concepts explained in the book, including
the ideas of specific theorists, such as Astin and Tinto. Both
the boxes and figures seem particularly useful as quick reference
and review points for professionals getting their first exposure
to student development theory. Finally, the reference list compiled
by the author represents a thorough review of student development
theory and is more than expected for a book of this length (p.109).
My only criticism of the book is that the reference list might
be too hefty for a work of this length. Researchers have an obligation
to include everything they use on their reference list and also
to use everything they include on the list. I am certain Skipper
has met this obligation; however, I wonder if everything on the
list is given a fair representation in the book.
As an advisor to students in a first
year program, this book is an invaluable resource; I will keep
it on my desktop for continued reference. While professionals
with degrees in College Student Personnel may not need this primer,
it will be an asset to all others who works with students.
